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Article: Rough Riders
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ROUGH RIDERS
ROUGH RIDERS,
officially the First U.S. Cavalry Volunteers, fought in the Spanish-American War and became the most widely publicized regiment in American military history. Its members came from the cattle ranges, mining camps, and law enforcement agencies of the Southwest. Such personnel offered brilliant copy for war correspondents and the unit's inexperienced but colorful commanding officers, particularly Theodore Roosevelt, enhanced its swashbuckling image. Although only half the regiment actually fought the Spanish, the fragment that reached Cuba lived up to its advance publicity. From Las Gu
á
simas to San Juan Hill, the Rough Riders' attacks were often ...